Radio Control: Giants
John A. de Vries
4610 Moffat Lane, Colorado Springs, CO 80915
IT'S NO SECRET that I am fascinated by the racing airplanes of the Golden Age. Although today's "heavy iron" is much faster, they're just jazzed-up versions of WWII fighter aircraft. There's something about the essentially home-built designs of the 1930s that makes them unique in aviation history; many were designed and built by capable aeronautical engineers. Art Chester's Jeep, Goon, and Swee' Pea were competitive in their eras, and he was also responsible for the design of the P-51 Mustang's front end.
Benny Howard's Pete, Ike, Mike, and Mr. Mulligan polished more than their share of Cleveland pylons. Modified for commercial purposes, Mr. Mulligan inspired the extension of the DGA aircraft series and was the basis of the Howard Aeronautical Co., which produced a host of high-wingers.
Clayton Folkerts will be remembered for his racers; Rudy Kling won the Greve and Thompson trophies in one of them. However, one mustn't forget that Folkerts was also the designer of the Monocoupe series of commercial aircraft.
All of this historical discussion was inspired by the outstanding model of Benny Howard's Pete, designed and built by Frank Beatty, that is shown this month. The inclusion of a Thompson Trophy event in the current series of Giant Scale pylon races further emphasizes the popularity of Golden Age scale subjects. Documentation and construction drawings are available for many of the Giant Thompson racers.
Resources and Plans
- Scale Model Research — Bob Bankas's Scale Model Research Documentation & Resource Guide includes 2 3/4 pages of Foto-Paks of the racers and many great three-views. Address: Scale Model Research, 3114 Yukon Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
- IKON 'N' West (Box 306, Post Falls, ID 83854) features Gee Bee kits.
- Wendell Hostetler — 1041 Heatherwood Lane, Orrville, OH 44667 — offers neat Giant Scale drawings, including Chester's Jeep, the Wedell-Williams series of racers, and construction drawings for Roscoe Turner's Turner-Laird racer.
- Vern Clements — 308 Palo Alto Dr., Caldwell, ID 83605 — prolific designer. Steve Wolf and Delmar Benjamin used his Gee Bee drawings to reproduce the R-2. Vern also has construction plans for:
- Gee Bee Z
- Gee Bee R-1
- Hall Springfield Bulldog
- Art Chester's Goon
- Tony LeVier's Schoenfeldt Firecracker
- a sporty clipped-wing Monocoupe
- Don Neill — designer of a great 1/4-scale version of Rudy Kling's Folkerts (if you can find a set).
- Ed Packard and Cleveland Model & Supply Co. (Box 55962, Indianapolis, IN 46205) — produced large-scale drawings of Golden Age Thompson Trophy winners; drawings should be available for most of them.
- Thompson's Vintage Race Plane Classics (219 White City Blvd., Springfield, IL 62703) — offered six great 1/4-scale drawings that included:
- Hughes H-1
- Howard Ike (including single- and dual-wheeled landing gear)
- Chester Goon
- Laird-Turner Miss Champion
- Roscoe Turner's Wedell-Williams
- LeVier's Schoenfeldt Firecracker
- Scale Plans & Photo Service (3209 Madison Ave., Greensboro, NC 27403) lists four suitable Giants:
- Ed Heath's Bullet
- Howard Hughes' H-1 racer
- Jimmy Doolittle's Laird Super-Solution biplane
- Doug Davis's Travel Air Mystery Ship
If you get the "hots" for Golden Age racing airplanes, many great construction drawings and photo documentation are available.
Museums and Large-Scale Builders
Frank Womack of the Wings of History Museum in San Martin, California reported that Bill Turner, a prolific builder of Golden Age racers (full scale), is finishing Turner's Pesco Special along with flyable reproductions of:
- Gee Bee Z
- Brown B-2 Miss Los Angeles
- de Havilland Comet
- Miles-Alwood racer
- Pobjoy racer
Bill Turner also owns the original Howard Pete, giving Giant Scale modelers a greater choice of subjects—either the original aircraft or Bill Turner's reproductions.
Materials and Equipment
A new source for esoteric modeling supplies has come to light: Model Research Labs (25108 Marguerite Parkway, #160, Mission Viejo, CA 92692). They offer Kevlar and carbon fiber sized to reinforce Giant Scale models, and several varieties of Mylar coverings. Request a catalog or check their offerings online.
American Hobby Products (12 West Hill Circle, Reading, MA 01867) offers what I consider the "Rolls-Royce" of Giant Scale engine test stands. It handles gas engines up to five cubic inches, accommodates propellers up to 24 inches in diameter, includes a kill switch, and is large enough to hold 8 x 12 x 16-inch concrete blocks as ballast. A Sullivan 12-ounce fuel tank and mounting hardware are included. The list price is $74.50. It's a quality product and will handle engines up to about 40 pounds thrust.
Projects
Don DeForest of Staten Island, NY, completed a "winter project" that deserves mention. His Giant Islander spans 12 feet, weighs about 40 pounds, and is powered by two G-45s. According to Don, it flies great.
Events
- US Air Force Museum Fly-In (Dayton, OH)
Right after WWII I was stationed at Wright Field in Dayton, OH. Today the old Wright Field is part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and is home to the U.S. Air Force Museum. The museum site provides one of the finest RC flying areas in the U.S.: no obstructions and a full-scale runway.
The Dayton Ohio Giant Scalers (International Miniature Aircraft Association Chapter #547) is sponsoring the US Air Force Museum Fly-In, September 4–6. Radio control flying will be from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily (with after-hours flying permitted). There will be an antique shop tour for the ladies on Saturday, a special museum tour and IMAX theater showing Saturday night, primitive camping facilities, and a host of great models for people without recreational vehicles.
For more info and preregistration, contact Dayton Ohio Giant Scalers, Box 14026, Dayton, OH 45413.
- The Hobby Show (Toronto area) — November 6–8
Some Canadians are planning a big hobby show featuring everything from boats and cars to dollhouses. Big prizes will be awarded for RC aircraft competing in "The Great Flying Machine Beauty Contest." The event will be at the International Centre, near Toronto International Airport.
If you're interested in competing, contact Ted Curl, The Hobby Show, 7 Avon Court, Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1N 3H2 or check www.thehobbyshow.com.
Closing
Congratulations to Don DeForest of Staten Island, New York, on his Giant Islander — a beautiful 40-pound twin that flies great, according to Don.
I'll be back next month with news of a super-spectacular, state-of-the-art aerobatic Giant Scale model.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
